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Struggling to get over 350?

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CaCook
CaCook Posts: 68
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I am new to this, last time I cooked 350 for about 2 hours on 5 lbs of charcoal.. with the bottom about 3/4" open

Today I have a hard time getting it back up to 350? Both vents wide open..

I figure too little charcoal so I threw some more in, but is the ash choking the fire (already??)

Plate setting is in there because I am trying to bake

Maybe I need to fill the the charcoal including the fire ring area and not just the fire bowl?
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  • Grillin & Chillin
    Grillin & Chillin Posts: 733
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    Hi
    As long as you had good red coals you should not be smothering fire, it should keep burning. I suggest not puting plate setting on till at least 300, then give it about 15 minutes to hit your desired 350. Good luck & post some photos when done.
    BGE'er since 1996 Large BGE 1996, Small BGE 1996, Mini BGE 1997
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  • Rolling Egg
    Rolling Egg Posts: 1,995
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    Always stir the old lump real well letting the ash fall down thru the grating. Then add lump to get it back up to top of firebox. Then lite. If you have problems after 30 to 45 minutes, take a coat hanger and make you a wiggle rod by straightening it out and having about a two inch 90 degree bend in the end. Then go through the bottom vent and stick it up in each one of the grate holes making sure no lump is blocking it.
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  • CaCook
    CaCook Posts: 68
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    It seems to be rocking now and I can close back the vent much more
    is it possible I didn't lit it up enough with the MAPP torch causing the slow pre-heat?
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  • Rolling Egg
    Rolling Egg Posts: 1,995
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    Yea I guess it's possible. I always light in two or three places if I'm wanting to cook in the 350 to 450 range. Was the platesetter dry? Had it been out in the weather? A lot of things come into the picture when you start comparing how an egg came up to temp today vs. yesterday.
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  • CaCook
    CaCook Posts: 68
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    Nope, just stored inside
    But today is easily 20 degrees colder than yesterday though, I didn't use the torch as much,
    will do better next time
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,759
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    you said the top vent is open, for higher temps you want to take the daisy completely off the egg, put it on the table, ground, etc ;)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker
    Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker Posts: 3,743
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    every time i cook, no matter what i cook, i always add a little new charcoal to what's there. i generally keep the thing mostly "full", that is, a firebox filled certainly above the holes, but not necessarily up to the fire ring. i can see maybe two inches of firebox.

    i also stir the old lump first to drop any ash. then add new lump, then stir again (sometimes).

    doing the same thing every time just takes out a few variables, so my egg "behaves" similarly each time i cook on it.

    aside from that, whenever you throw in the platesetter, you are adding more than a few pounds of cold ceramic. if you want 350, you need to heat the additional mass of the platesetter as well, otherwise it will drag dome temp down.

    two eggs side by side, filled and lit the same way: the one with the platesetter will take longer to hit 350, maybe by as much as 15-20 minutes more
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  • NC-CDN
    NC-CDN Posts: 703
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    New charcoal? Did you clean out the vents and remove the ash? Other than that it usually isn't too hard. 10 minutes in and it's 500 plus! Good luck.
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